Removing sand sources for road construction to ensure progress of Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway

The Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang Expressway is 188.2 km long, with a scale of 4 lanes, with a total investment of 44,691 billion VND, divided into 4 independent component projects (DATP); in which, An Giang province is the managing agency of DATP 1, 57 km long, with a total investment of 13,799 billion VND, Can Tho city is the managing agency of DATPs 2, 3 and 4, 132.5 km long, with a total investment of 30,892 billion VND.

The project started on June 17, 2023, with the goal of basically completing it in 2026 and putting it into operation synchronously in 2027. However, up to now, due to the lack of construction materials, especially sand and soil for roadbed filling, the long loading time waiting for subsidence and the impact of weather conditions, the project is showing signs of slow progress.

Removing sand sources for road construction ensures progress of Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway. Photo: VNA

According to the report of the Ministry of Construction , by October 2025, the project disbursement value reached more than 20.0 billion VND, equivalent to more than 71% of the plan, the two DATPs 1 and 2 managed by the People's Committees of An Giang province and Can Tho city had high disbursement rates, reaching about 79% and 84% respectively. However, the average construction output on the expressway only reached about 45% of the contract value, about 5% behind the set target. The main reason for the delay is the shortage of sand and soil materials for roadbed construction, and the exploitation capacity of local mines cannot meet the construction needs.

According to statistics from the Management Board of Agricultural Traffic Construction Investment Projects of Can Tho City, the total demand for sand for filling the component projects is about 21.10 million m3 of sand, of which component project 2 is 7 million m3, component project 3 is 6 million m3, component project 4 is more than 8 million m3, up to now there is still a shortage of about 5 million m3. The Board is directing consulting and supervising units, construction contractors to coordinate in surveying, researching and adjusting the design and appropriate construction methods, mobilizing all construction resources to compensate for the progress and ensuring the completion of the project according to the Prime Minister's goals.

Immediately after completing the contractor selection and construction commencement, the investors of the DATPs urged the contractors to mobilize human resources, machinery and equipment, and gather materials to organize construction simultaneously on the route. The detailed construction plan has also been implemented by the investors and construction contractors, but up to now, the overall progress has not met the requirements due to the lack of sand for filling the foundation.

To resolve the material source, the Ministry of Construction recommends that localities with sand resources such as Dong Thap, An Giang, Can Tho, etc. continue to proactively review and search for more sand mines to compensate for the shortage of capacity to serve project construction; at the same time, research technical solutions, speed up procedures to increase mining capacity to meet actual needs in terms of volume and progress.

According to the actual situation at the construction site, the expressway passes through areas with weak soil foundations that need to be loaded and wait for settlement for a period of 10-12 months, so the current shortage of sand sources has greatly affected the progress of completing the DATPs. The Ministry of Construction also assessed that the construction progress of the bridge section in the DATPs is meeting the requirements, expected to be basically completed in December 2025. However, the project's progress critical path belongs to the road section. If sand mining capacity is not increased, sand mines are added, combined with technical solutions to shorten the loading time waiting for settlement, the construction progress of the road section will be difficult to ensure the target.

Implementing the Prime Minister's conclusion at a recent meeting on project implementation, the Ministry of Construction inspected the site, reviewed progress and issued a document requesting localities to focus on removing obstacles, mobilizing resources to strive to complete DATP 1 by December 2025, and complete DATPs 2, 3, and 4 by April 2026.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/thao-go-nguon-cat-dap-duong-dam-bao-tien-do-cao-toc-chau-doc-can-tho-soc-trang-20251008155413561.htm